Introduction: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, Zigmond and Snaith, 1983) has become a popular clinical instrument designed to assess anxiety and depression. Evidence of HADS’ good screening properties applied to several samples has been found. HADS seems to be as good screening properties as other tools. Different studies in Spanish sample tested its psychometric properties, including also their cut-offs points, specificity and sensitivity. Our aim is to unify the results of studies in Spanish population specifying guidelines regarding their applicability and interpretation of their cut-off points. Material and method: bibliographic review. Results: 15 articles were selected, a) HADS confirms its optimal psychometric properties in different groups, b) HADS shows some variability in proposed cut-off points for different groups, c) A number of items shown weak factor loading and item-test. Discussion: These items should be reconsidered for new proposals of a shortened final scale. We suggest attending at distress total scale.

Manual dexterity is essential for performing daily life tasks, becoming a primary means of interaction with the physical, social, and cultural environment. In this respect, the Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) is considered a gold standard for assessing manual dexterity. Bibliometrics is a discipline that focuses on analyzing publications to describe, evaluate, and predict the status and development trends in certain fields of scientific research. We performed a bibliometric analysis to track research results and identify global trends regarding the use of the NHPT. The bibliographic data were retrieved from the Web of Science database and then analyzed using the Bibliometrix R package, resulting in the retrieval of a total of 615 publications from 1988 to 2021. Among the 263 journals investigated, the most prolific were the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, Clinical Rehabilitation, and Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. North America and Europe were the areas with the highest production of publications, with the United States (n = 104) ranking first in terms of the number of publications, followed by the United Kingdom (n = 62) and Italy (n = 62). The analysis of keywords revealed that there were two main lines of research, with one related to the study of recovery and disability of the upper limbs caused by certain diseases and another related to the study of reliability and validity. Structured information can be useful to understand the research trajectory and the uses of this tool.

(1) Background: The present study examined how social comparison orientation, stress appraisal and different social comparison strategies interact in women facing chronic illness. (2) Methods: Assessments were conducted by a trained professional in face-to face semistructured interviews (n = 179 women with chronic illness). Main outcome measures included social comparison scales and a stress appraisal questionnaire. The mediation model, by a bootstrapping procedure, was used to analyze the interaction among variables. (3) Results: Regarding the relationships among variables studied, they were related to each other except for a downward contrast, which allowed us to propose our hypothetical mediation model. Results showed that stress appraisal fully mediates between social comparison orientation and social comparison strategies except for the upward identification strategy. (4) Conclusions: Our results suggest that uncertainty, feelings of threat and low control over one’s illness or, in general, stress appraisal, had an important mediating effects over social comparison processes in patients with chronic illnesses. Therefore, by understanding the stress appraisal process, and the variables that might modify it, we could improve the use of social comparison as a favorable coping strategy.

Background: Due to uncertainty regarding chronic pain in Fibromyalgia (FM) patients, there has been a growing interest in social comparison and its influence on emotional responses. Aims: to analyze profiles in FM patients according to pain perception, social comparison strategies and anxiety and depression. Methods: The sample consisted of 131 FM outpatients (Mean age: 50.15, SD = 11.1). Two scales were used: the Social Comparison Illness Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: Two profiles were found by cluster analysis (K-means method): one (66%) with a higher level of pain perception, anxiety and depression and greater use of upward contrast and downward identification social comparison; and another (34%) with lower levels of pain perception, anxiety and depression and greater use of upward identification and downward contrast. Conclusion: These profiles underline the interest in social comparison strategies and their role in FM.

En este monográfico se presentan 10 propuestas teóricas sobre la forma en que la Psicología Social puede —potencialmente— ayudar a afrontar la pandemia del COVID-19. En concreto, en estas propuestas se discute: a) cómo se podrían utilizar distintos modelos teóricos para entender mejor la pandemia, sus consecuencias y cómo afrontarlas; b) la importancia de considerar variables —como la clase social o el género— al examinar las causas y consecuencias de la pandemia; c) los retos y las preguntas de investigación que se podrían abordar desde algunos ámbitos de aplicación psicosociales, como la Psicología Ambiental, la Psicología Organizacional y la Psicología Social Comunitaria.